Into the Woods
by Beyond-the-fence
Summary: When Gale asks Katniss is they should run away together, this time, the answer is yes. However, it is kept a secret. How long will this last?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first fan fic. It starts off in the first book when Gale proposes that he and Katniss should run away on the reaping day. If you enjoy it, please make sure to review it or favorite it. **

**Disclaimer: I am not Susan Collins. In no means am I trying to steal her characters. I'm merely doing this for fun.**

Chapter One: The proposal

Katniss POV

The golden slants of light awaken me on Reaping day. These rays are full of energy, setting a false hope over the district. The sun may shine, but that won't change the moods of everyone in the district. Teenagers pray that they are not tribute and parents hope their son or daughter isn't forced to fight in the arena.

I slip on my old hunting boots, a black t-shirt, a pair of worn, blue jeans and cinch my father's leather jacket over my shoulders. While looking through my father's old mirror, I braid my thick, brunette hair down my back. A layer of coal dust settled on the mirror overnight. Prim usually polishes it in the morning. I guess she forgot when she left in the middle of the night to sleep with our mother.

As I leave the house, I grab my game bag from the kitchen table and walk directly to the woods. The opening in the fence seems harder to go under today. I suppose it is because of the food I bought from the marketplace. It's filled with some rolls purchased with the left-over money from our sales at the hob.

The woods embrace me with open arms. This is my second home, and Gale only makes it more…_perfect_. I spot Gale collecting from his snares by the hollow opening I leave my bow and arrows. When our eyes meet, we walk over to a patch of grass directly hit by sunlight. "I brought a treat for us." I say reaching into my game bag to retrieve the rolls. "So did I." Gale says smiling, ever so slightly. He moves his muscular hands inside his game bag and produces a bowl of assorted berries, and some grapes. We eat the feast laid before us, joke about Effie, worry a bit about the games, and mock the Capitol.

"Katniss…" His gray eyes lock with mine once again. "I can't do this anymore."

I try to hide the rush of emotions surging through me. What could he possibly mean? He can't pretend being friends? He doesn't want to hunt out in the woods every day? He wants to hunt separately? None of these seem probable, but I listen to the hum of his voice to hear the truth.

"If I go to the reaping today, the odds are not in my favor. My name is written 42 times in the reaping ball. The possibility of staying in district twelve for the games seems slim to none. I have to get out before it's too late."

I look away for a moment and hesitate. "There's still the possibility it won't happen. Even if you do leave, where can you run? Each district belongs to the Capitol; they would track you down to drag you back to the district and do some unimaginably awful punishment to you. You can't miss the reaping. The peacekeepers keep track of the eligible tributes; you cannot run."

Whatever flicker of hope Gale had before vanished. His look of determination and hope gone. I suddenly regretted the words I said, even if they were true. A new emotion surged through him, as he spoke again. "I hoped we could run away together. The Capitol doesn't control the woods, I suppose that's why I feel safer here than anywhere else. Please, if it's not too much to ask, I want you to come."

Without meaning to, anger boils over me. How incredibly selfish could he be? We have two families to feed. Prim is the oldest of all the siblings, but I _refuse_ to let her sign up for terressae. Rory has two years until he can sign up, but Gale promised that would never happen. How would my family live off the money of Prim's goat's milk and my mother's healing service? As for Gale's family, Hazelle has enough work on her hands trying to take care of his three younger siblings. Why would he ever propose such an absurd idea?!

"What about the families Gale? Who's going to feed them? They'll starve to death if we don't hunt each day and bring back the meat. And what about Prim?! It's her first reaping, and you expect me to leave her without saying goodbye to her or my mother?" I realize I'm shouting, but I continue anyways to prove my point. "Hazelle has enough trouble dealing with your siblings. How will she provide everything for the family at the same time? As much as I'd like to go, my answer is no."

"I never said you couldn't tell Prim and your mother goodbye. All I said is I wanted you to come!" He doesn't yell, but his words reek of anger. "If you really want to take care of Prim for the reaping, that's just fine. We'll stay and watch myself, and a girl get drawn from the reaping balls, then march up onto the stage standing next to Effie, and the drunk we call a victor. Then, you can have the pleasure of watching me die." Gale pulls back a snarl that creeps along his olive skin.

"Gale, it's no pleasure seeing how much it hurts you. I'm willing to go, just not today. I have to comfort my family. We can leave before dawn tomorrow to go into the woods if that will make you happy" I sigh. "Will that be a fair compromise?" I ask, half hoping he says no, and half-hoping he says yes.

"If we both make it through the day, it's a plan. Only, there is one catch. You can't tell anyone."

**A/N: I realize I changed a few things (where the food is from, what Gale and Katniss say to each other) but it doesn't change the point of the story. I'm not trying to replicate the book exactly, only add a few minor touches. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for my first review! I know I just put the story up yesterday, but I got so excited when I saw that my work was not only read, it is starting to get **_**praise**_**. So, shoutout to ovoxogang :)**

**Disclaimer: I am not the owner of the wonderful Hunger Games trilogy. All credit goes to Susan Collins.**

Chapter 2: The Reaping

Katniss POV

"What do you mean we can't tell anyone?" I say the words in a whisper, just in case anyone else is nearby. Gale puts the palms of his hands on top of the green grass behind him. "Well, we wouldn't want our families to worry, now do we Catnip?" Gale whispers in response. "Pretend this didn't happen until tomorrow. If our plan gets out, well, they'll stop us. It'll be our little secret."

I wait a moment to let everything sink in. If I want to carry out our plan into the woods, I'd have to hide the truth from Prim and my mother. Although there's no telling when they'll piece two and two together. In response, I nod and leave my game bag with Gale as I head towards the fence.

The square is empty by the time my hunting boots click on the stone floor. Not a soul is in sight. Most likely, mothers are preparing their children and teenagers for the reaping. However, the village has not felt this empty since the last disease that swept through district 12. Most people were too weak to leave their bed. The heavy flow of patients kept my mother busy; my family had been lucky. We hadn't become sick. Reaping day makes the day hard enough, but it simply feels eerie where everyone hides in their homes.

As a desperate attempt to escape these thoughts, I walk back to my house. My mother puts the final touches on Prims hair as I slip into my/Prim's bedroom. I gaze in awe at the dress laid before me: a dress from my mother's apothecary days. "I thought you'd like it." I spin around to see my mother right in front of me. "Are you sure it's alright that I wear this? I know how special it is to you." I nervously fidget with my hands as I wait for her response.

"Yes, I want you to wear it. You want to look nice for the camera after all." She replies flatly. Once I'm alone, I wash off the dirt and grime of hunting with Gale this morning. I slip on my mother's baby blue dress and matching shoes. I sit down on an oak chair in the kitchen while my mother fixes my thick hair into a braid. It's not my normal braid. My hair is pulled tighter so the braid appears smaller, and wraps around my head. As the final touch, she fastens a black bobby pin by the hair under my right ear.

As I stand up, Prim gapes at me. "You look…beautiful Katniss." Prim's blouse is un-tucked in the back. "Thank you little duck." I smile back. Prim quacks a few times on our way to the square.

The square barely has enough standing room at this point. Except for the roped off areas, only a few spots scattered throughout the crowd remain. Prim follows behind me as the peacekeepers usher in the eligible tributes. I'm used to the prick of the needle, so I walk to the roped off area for 16 year old girls quickly. Prim is in the girls section in the far back with the other 12 year olds. I wish I could comfort her, but she seems too far away.

Madge spots me right away, and I walk in her direction, since the other girls stare me down when I walk past. "You look great Katniss" Madge says with a slight smile. The smile fades quickly under the circumstances. _Small talk, just what I need at a time like this. How do girls talk like this all day long? _"Um, thanks. So do you Madge." Without maintaining eye contact with Madge, I scan the crowd for Gale and try to give a reassuring look. I do my best to give him a weak smile, but it fades when I see the terror overtaking his emotions.

This year, Effie Trinket wears a slightly lopsided, light pink wig with a green jumpsuit. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be _ever _in your favor." Despite the distance between us, I can tell Gale shuttered at those words. The odds are certainly not in his favor today. He's probably silently cursing me for not leaving when he wanted to.

"Ladies First!" Effie reaches in her fingers with her extraordinarily long pink fingernails. She pauses a moment before grabbing a slip in the center of the reaping ball. She slowly unfolds the slip with the writing of our first tribute. "Madge Undersee."

I feel Madge tense up beside me as the girls from our section make a path for Madge up to the stage. Her face looks as white as her dress by the time she stands next to Effie. I never felt too close to her, but now my only friend from my grade will fight to the death. I can't help but feel sorry for her.

Effie wears her plastic smile and calls out the name for the boy tribute. "Peeta Mellark." _Oh no. _Peeta doesn't seem as nervous, mostly because his face didn't turn white. "Well, isn't this exciting." Effie remarks. No one else in the crowd acknowledges her words.

Mayor Undersee reads the Treaty of Treason then sits down. His face is almost as distraught as his daughter's. Madge and Peeta shake hands as the anthem of Panem plays. Then, the peacekeepers usher them offstage towards the peace building.

**A/N: In case you were wondering, Gale and Katniss won't go leave until the fourth chapter. I will try to post on a daily basis so the wait won't be too long. Mostly, because I enjoy doing this. :) If you enjoyed this chapter, please review, favorite or follow at your leisure.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'll continue the story if I get at least one more review. This is just a filler chapter. I might post the next chapter tonight as well, to make up for yesterday.**

**Disclaimer: I didn't write the Hunger games. All characters are from Susan Collins.**

Chapter 3: Last night in district 12

Katniss POV

I should be happy that both Gale and I won't go into the arena, but I'm not. I know both of this year's tributes. It's different this time around. They're not two random tributes from other years, they're people who I've known ever since the first day of school. Now all of Panem will watch them suffer. _Except for Gale and I._

By three O'clock, there's absolutely nothing else to do, so I go to the woods to hunt. I pull my father's bow and arrows from the hollow of a tree. I sling the sheath of arrows over my shoulder and watch for any sudden movements. I spot a bunny within the first two minutes, but the animal is so small that there would be no meat left after it is skinned. So, I decide against it.

Five minutes pass, then ten, fifteen. I circle around a few neighboring trees until I spot a buck. A surge of excitement rushes through me. It has been almost a year eight months since I shot a buck. They normally get excellent sales from them at the butcher.

The buck doesn't acknowledge my presence as I move towards it to get in range. It is drinking from a small stream off the path. Its antlers reflect in the pool of water below. They create small ripples when it bows its head too far down. It looks peaceful almost. But now's my only chance; to strike when the animal is distracted.

I grab an arrow from behind me and position it on the bow string and arc of the slender bow. The muscles in my arm tense as I pull the arrow back and relax once I aim the arrow into the square of its eye.

The buck stops moving altogether as death claims it. I walk over to it, carefully removing the arrow from its eye. I rinse it off in the stream, and place the arrow with the other eleven.

The animal is heavier than my usual haul put together. I have to drag the animal across the forest floor to move. Even then, I'm huffing after I go fifty steps. Usually Gale's here to help lighten the load, he's probably making preparations for tomorrow morning. _If only he were here. Hunting is easier with two anyways._

I reach the fence around dusk. My mother and Prim are probably worried by now, I need to hurry before they think something happened to me. I check to make sure the coast is clear, and I drag the buck's body to the butchers. She offers me one price, but it's so reasonable I feel obligated to say yes.

When I walk in the door, dinner is already cold. A bowl of stew and a handful of beans sit at my place at the table. Prim has already moved on to dessert, consisting of bread and strawberries: a delicacy in our house.

"You're late" my mother says averting her eyes. "Where did you go this time?"

"I hunted in the woods alone. I shot a buck and the butcher offered me a high pay." I place the coins from my pocket on the table to prove my point. "You can use the money to buy medical supplies, I know you're running low." She gives a slight nod, and then gestures for me to sit down and eat.

I nearly scarf down my food, realizing I haven't eaten since I had breakfast with Gale. My nerves got the best of me before the reaping. Prim and my mother left me a generous portion of bread, and five leftover strawberries, which I gratefully accept.

My legs begin to shake as I remember that I'm leaving them tomorrow for Gale. _You're doing the right thing Katniss. You deserve a little happiness in your life. Just breathe in and out. Act normal, and they will never know the thoughts flowing through my mind. _I take a deep breath and excuse myself from the table to go to bed.

I throw on a pair of comfortable black shorts and a loose t-shirt as pajamas. Then begin to pile in a few extra pairs of clothes into my game bag, not knowing where else to pack my clothes for tomorrow. I leave the bag at the foot of the bed and blow out the candle on my nightstand. The power was out again, because there wasn't anything important from the Capitol tonight.

_Why does Gale want me to go so badly? Is this more than a hunting trip? If it is, I have to remember we're just friends. I wouldn't want to sever the bond between us. Katniss, JUST SLEEP ALREADY. _

I slowly drift into a dreamless sleep, wondering how Gale actually feels about me. All will be decided tomorrow in the woods.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Two chapters in one day! Your welcome.**

**Disclaimer: You get the gist.**

Chapter 4: Into the Woods

Katniss POV:

By the time the sun shines my bedroom, I'm already awake and tiptoeing out of the house. I leave without so much as a goodbye, farewell or a note. I changed back into my outfit from yesterday: my father's hunting jacket, a different black v neck, a lighter pair of jeans and my usual hunting boots.

The weight of my bag drags me down, why do I need this many extra pairs of clothes? _Should I go back to the house to return some? Probably too risky…I was lucky enough getting out of the house once without being seen. _The haul is significantly lighter than the buck from yesterday. So, I stop complaining.

I sprint to the fence so no one sees me. Thankfully, it appears that none of the shopkeepers saw me as they opened up for the day. If they did, none of them tried to stop me. They probably think I'm out hunting with Gale for the morning.

I see Gale smile as I walk into our usual hunting spot. I don't exaggerate when I say I leaped into his arms. I violently throw my clothes on the ground, causing a few shirts to fall out of the bag, and wrap my arms around the middle of his back. I feel him stumble by the force of the embrace, but he wraps his arms around me once he regains his balance. We stand there for what feels like an eternity, not saying a word, just sitting there in comfortable silence.

When I finally let go, I start to feel embarrassed. "Looks like you're excited to see me Catnip". I blush, then look away, quietly picking up the clothes that I left scattered on the ground. The thoughts from last night must've gotten into my head…I've known him practically all my life. One night shouldn't change any of that.

Gale POV

_What's gotten into Katniss? One moment she runs towards me to hug me, and the next she won't even talk to me. _I crouch down next to her and help her pick up some of the shirts that fell around her bag. Our hands awkwardly touch as I give her one of her shirts. It sends a shock down my arm, but it's a shock that demands another. Although it's not strange for me, Katniss inches away a bit to pick up yet another, black t-shirt.

As she finishes packing her clothes into her bag, which she absent-mindedly shoved, I suggest that we hunt a bit to calm her nerves. I take my bow and arrows from inside a berry bush, as Katniss reaches into a hollow log to retrieve hers. Most of our conversation focuses on what to hunt for, and when to strike. We shoot a few birds, then decide to keep walking. I stuff the birds in my bag, since Katniss's is practically overflowing with clothes. We find a grassy spot by the brook and sit down for dinner.

"Maybe we should make a fire to roast the goose." Katniss nods, and grabs a few stray rocks to form a circle. Then, carefully layering pieces of wood from smallest to largest until she's created a small teepee. Using two sticks, she grinds them together and ignites the fire. We just watch for a moment as the flames flicker up and down, waiting for the campsite to cast an eerie glow from the flame.

I settle the goose on top of a stick hanging above the flame. As the goose roasts, the inside flaps tucked neatly onto the stick, I sit down next to Katniss on a stray log about 5 feet from the flame. _Now's your chance to ask her what's going on._

"Katniss, we need to talk. I-"

Before I can think of what to do next, I feel Katniss's warm lips against mine. However, the thing that surprises me the most, is that I'm kissing her back.

**A/N: Wondering what comes next? The next update will come soon, I promise. I'll try and make Gale's POV a bit longer, but that's coming up in upcoming chapters. As always, thank you for reading :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: The update is here! The update is here! I'll try to make this chapter a bit longer than usual, since the last one was short. And all will be revealed this chapter. I know the last one was a cliffhanger, so I won't stop there.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games, sorry to say.**

Chapter 5: The Lake

Gale POV

I pull away as I go to check on the goose. The inside feels warm, but not too hot that it will burn. I pull it off with my hands to separate the goose into two. As I sit back down on the log, I hand one piece to Katniss, which we both eagerly devour.

Now she's not talking again…what is possibly going through her mind now? I never realized she felt this way. But do I feel the same? I can't be entirely sure, but there's no denying what just happened only a few seconds ago. She fills the silence with action of love, but she isn't acting like herself. There's no telling what she'll do next which is rather terrifying knowing her.

"Katniss, what's going on here?" I question. This time though, she doesn't stop until I'm finished. "As soon as you see me, you run towards me as if it's been years since we've seen each other. I nearly fell over. Not that I wasn't happy to see you, but it caught me by surprise. When you let go I tried to help you pick up your clothes, and you pull away when I hand you a handful of shirts. You inch away from me then finish shoving everything into your bag. The only part of the day that was normal for either of us was hunting like we normally do. Then, once we set up camp, I try to talk to you and we kiss. What is going on? You've gone back and forth between pretending you don't know me and that I'm the most important person in all of Panem. What is going on here? I've known you for four years Katniss! I know you better than anyone. If there's something going on, just tell me. Just let me help." I practically plead by the end.

I see how uncomfortable she is once I finish. Clearly it's something neither of us what to talk about it, but we need to. She settles her eyes on a point in the distant woods, just barely visible in the glow of the fire. "I tried to figure out why you wanted me to run away with you. The night you asked, I debated whether you wanted to hunt every day or if it meant something else. I know we've known each other for four years. I never said I had forgotten. Just, this thought caught me by surprise. I never asked why you wanted me to come, I just said yes without any thoughts as to what would come next. I guess at some point in the night I thought this trip to the woods would mean something more. I still haven't figured out whether it's true or not. I over-reacted, and I'm sorry. I should've asked before I did any of this."

"Why did you kiss me if you weren't sure how I would react? I honestly don't know how I feel about everything, but you seem as though you've figured everything out yourself. I have no idea what you're going to do next and it's terrifying. You'd think I'd know better after I've been around you every day for four years. Now your unpredictable. As for why I brought you here, I just wanted to be happy for once. We're safe from the Capitol now, we went to the reaping so now they'll leave us alone for another year. There's no pressure to put food on the table, only to take care of ourselves. You seemed thrilled with the idea before, now you can't even make up your mind. I haven't made mine up either. I suppose we'll know when the time is right. Just for right now, can we keep things as they are? It's awkward for both of us if we act like we're in love even though we've never done anything even remotely romantic until today."

Katniss POV

I wait for the words to sink in. Maybe I've been wrong all along, like today's just been one mistake after the other. I shouldn't have assumed, there's never been anything romantic between us and I knew that all along. Why did I let it happen? Gale probably hates me for it. I feel tears brimming my eyes as these thoughts flow through my mind.

"I-I'm sorry Gale. I should have kept things as they were. We should put this day behind us. Tomorrow will be like every other day in the woods. We prefer it that ways anyways. I didn't know how you would react, so I just did it. I shouldn't have done it, I know. Everything is ruined because of today."

I feel the tears slip down my face as I speak. Blinking wasn't enough to stop them. Gale reaches his hand to my face to wipe the tears off. I over-reacted again. I've lost track of how many times I've assumed wrong. Yet, he always reacts in a way that makes everything I do feel…_right. _As if being vulnerable around him was normal, which it never is. I act stronger than I should, so I don't look weak or as young. This time, I can't help it. I feel like leaning my head on his shoulder, but that would give him the wrong idea again. Instead, I put my knees up to me chest and hug them tightly. _So much for looking strong. _

"You're right, maybe it's best that we put today behind us. You didn't ruin everything, today was just an…_experiment." _I cringe at the word experiment, knowing the meaning runs deeper. "Why don't we start off by finding a place to rest for the night; unless you'd rather stay at the campsite." I shake my head and gesture for Gale to follow.

I take him to the only place I know in the woods that I feel safe: the lake. It takes about an hour to reach the house by the lake. If there were another place in the woods that we would rest for the night, I would've picked the other option, because of the memories of my father that embody every aspect of the cottage. But, it appears I have no other options. As we enter the stone cottage, the sunset dips under the tallest trees of the woods. I light another fire in the stone fireplace, illuminating the living area.

The fireplace is directly across from the door into the cottage. Tiny ornaments decorate the mantle above. Right in front of the fireplace is a couch big enough for two. On the right wall, there's a bookshelf with my father's plant books. On the left side of the shelf is an entryway into a small kitchen. The only appliance is a stove. The rest of the room holds cabinets full of edible plants and berries; since the trip to the lake days about a day. Normally a few roots and berries are enough to satisfy our appetites. A small, circular table sits in the back of the room, with two chairs on either side. To the left side of the living area is the bedroom. There's one wooden nightstand on either side of the king sized bed. The only piece on top of either nightstand is a single candle with a box of matches. The floor throughout the cottage is made of cobblestone of varying sizes.

Once Gale finishes exploring the cottage, he sits down in front of the fire on the couch. Suddenly, I can't think of any other thoughts other than sleep, and sit down next to Gale. My actions don't feel forced, but I go unconscious as I slip into a dreamless sleep with my body curled up next to Gale's.

Gale POV

I feel Katniss curl up beside me on the right side of me. Despite everything that happened today, this feels normal. She's not forcing herself to do this, she's probably just tired. Even if she meant to do this, I let it slide because of the pressure she put on herself today. Her arm slumps to the ground, and I assume she's finally gone to sleep.

The fire starts to spark, so I reach over to place the grate over the fire. The heat from the flame becomes milder, almost to the point that no heat escapes the grate.

I feel my eyes begin to droop as the tongues of the flame die down. Tomorrow will be the same as any other hunting day. Hopefully, tomorrow will wash away the actions of today. Though, to be entirely honest, I may never forget the day of our first kiss. What did that mean anyways? Today's kiss was too forced, that it probably doesn't count anyways. We never declared our love for each other. She thought that's what I _wanted. _Which, I'm still not convinced that I do. We'll just have to wait until the time is right.

My eyes droop farther down, so I can barely see through the slits under my eyelids. The last thing I remember doing, is placing my arm around Katniss for protection, and the other one lying over the arm of the couch.

**A/N: Believe it or not, this chapter is almost a page longer than the others. Sorry for making Gale's POV at the end so short, I just wanted to clear up any comments on how Gale felt sitting next to Katniss. Hope this cleared up why Katniss acted strange in the last chapter. More updates coming soon.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry for the wait today, there was a lot going on. I didn't forget, I just had other priorities first. **

**Disclaimer: I didn't write the Hunger Games.**

Chapter 6: A normal day

Katniss POV

As I slip out of my dreamless sleep, I shake off Gale's arm and go into the bedroom with my game bag. I find the dresser in the dimly lit room and shove the clothes into the drawer. There's no need to lug that around the woods every day. It won't close the first time, so I push the clothes into the furthest recesses of the drawer until it finally does.

I pull out an identical change of clothes, and throw yesterday's clothes into the right side of the drawer. After closing the drawer and lifting my empty game bag over my shoulder, I go to the kitchen on the other side of the living room and put in a handful of roots and berries as I hunt for game. Gale is just waking up as I head out the door. He stretches his arms and arches his back as he gets off the couch.

Before he turns around, I'm already taking my bow and arrows from the side of the house. They feel cold against my bare hands. I walk until I find the tree with my initials and my fathers etched into a tree. The exact spot where he taught me to hunt, and I held a bow and arrow for the first time. Had it really been eight years since I learned? His words echo through my mind as I think of him.

"_Come with me Katniss, I want to teach you something." We walked to the exact spot, directly hit by golden rays of sunshine with animals hiding in the surrounding trees. Mockingjays perched themselves on the trees right above, waiting for the sound of my father's voice. Right before he opened his mouth, the forest quieted to listen. _

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

_A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_

_Lay down our head, and close your sleepy eyes_

_And when they open. The sun will rise._

_Here it's safe. Here it's warm._

_Here the daises guard you from every harm_

_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is the place where I love you._

_He repeats the time once more before the mockingjays tweet his song. "Now, are you ready?" I nod my head in anticipation and hang on to his every word. "The most important part of hunting is to keep your eyes on the target. If you lose sight of that, then you lose your focus. You want to hit the animal with one arrow if possible. All it takes, is focus."_

I look for an animal within shooting range, then quietly reach for an arrow behind me. His words are my only thoughts. _Keep your eyes on the target. If you lose sight of that, then you lose your focus. _I narrow my eyes at the fox, looking for its weakest point. I know to shoot for the eye, I just size up the animal before I shoot as part of a routine.

"_Don't stretch the bowstring too much or it will snap. If you bend your arm to a 90 degree angle, you'll always have the right aim. Make sure to steady the bow as you prepare to shoot. The last thing you want is to change your target at the last second. A firm grip on the bow will do the trick. Now, watch me." He pulls his arm back and sends the arrow straight into the eye of the rabbit. It lay motionless on the ground. "Now, I want you to try."_

I pull my arm back, adjust the arrow so it will shoot straight ahead. The head of the arrow touches the wood of the bow and the tail lightly rubs the bowstring. As I release, the arrow flies just below the eye of the fox. However, I know its already dead as I approach it. I pull the arrow out of its eye and put the arrow back into my sheath of arrows. I make a mental note in my head to skin the animal later in the day. I lift the fox into my game bag and throw it onto my left shoulder.

I hear footsteps, and I instinctively pull out an arrow and string it on my bow. As I turn around, I realize my arrow points directly at Gale. "Relax Catnip, I'm not going to hurt you." I put the arrow away and hold my bow at the top to steady it.

He walks over to a maple tree and takes some rope out of his game bag. He instinctively ties knots, and begins setting up his snare. I watch the careful work of his hands. Every action must be precise, or it won't hold up. He ties the rope around a small sapling on the ground. While bending the sapling, he ties the other part of the rope to another sapling. Not his best work, I'll admit, but animals fall for it every time.

"What did you catch this morning?" Gale asks. "Only a fox. It wasn't very big, but I'm sure it would go great with other game." Gale nods, and sets up another snare in the center of the hunting circle. We stay silent for a few moments. Only the sound of neighboring animals and mockingjays fill the silence.

"Ready to hunt?"

"I'd rather have a bit to eat first" Gale replies.

I pull out the roots and berries from my game bag and give half the food to him. He has the berries in one mouthful, and the roots in ten. I finish my serving of roots and berries shortly after. Now we're ready to hunt.

We walk to an opening about fifty yards from my father's spot. "I bet I can shoot more game than you can." I challenge. "It's already one to zero." "Oh, you're on." He says with a playful grin on his face.

I shoot a bird overhead and call out "two." Gale picks up his pace, and his total reaches five before I can find my third animal. We shoot until neither of us have any arrows left, twelve shots each, with Gale as the final winner with ten kills. I'm not far behind at eight, but I have to admire his determination.

"Not bad Hawthorne. But, there's still room for improvement." I tease, lightly punching his arm. He smiles, remembering the first time we hunted and he said those exact words. We collect the carcasses of the animals as we toss them into our bags. There's enough meat to last us a few days, assuming the meat doesn't spoil from the heat.

As we begin to walk back to camp, we both listen to the crunch of leaves behind us. Instinctively, we both drop our game bags and pull an arrow into place. As I turn around, I see my arrow points directly to my mother, and Gale's arrow pointed to Hazelle.

**A/N: Spoiler-this is not the end of the story. There's more to come. Read tomorrow to find out. But only I know ;) Please review for any comments or questions about the story.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, I had a bit of writer's block. **

**Disclaimer: .-.**

Chapter 7: The choice

Katniss POV

I lower my arrow, and tuck it into the sheath; my eyes stay narrowed at my mother. _How did she find us so quickly? They'll take us back to the district for sure…_I glance over at Gale, to find he's as terrified as I am. His eyes focus on the ground below, and I can't tell if it's to avert Hazelle's eyes, or regrets his decision to come.

"What are you doing out here? The shopkeepers told us you were in the woods, but there was no trace of footsteps on the path. There wasn't a search party, but if we didn't find you today there would be." Hazelle focuses her attention on Gale, but he keeps his eyes focused below. "We searched for _hours _yesterday with no sign of either of you. Do you know how terrifying not knowing where your oldest child is? I thought I lost you Gale. There's so many possibilities as to where you went, that I thought we were in the wrong direction. Do you understand what we went through?"

Gale pauses a moment before meeting Hazelle's gaze. "No, I don't know. But I have some idea how you felt. There's no sense of direction, and fear haunts you with every step. You've been through quite a bit, I can tell."

"Right, which means we should head back to the district before you two cause any more trouble. You're all they talk about in the district. Besides, well, the games. We shouldn't leave them guessing. It's better if you both come with us." As Hazelle grabs onto Gale's arm, my mother does the same. "No." I snap, while breaking her grip on my arm. "We're not going anywhere. There's no need for us back at home anyways. It's about time you learn for yourself. You did it once." _Let's call this payback for leaving Prim and I after our father died. _

"Katniss! You're being unreasonable. Do you want Prim and I to starve again? You're the one who provides for our family, not me. How can I return to a life I left years ago? It doesn't seem possible. We won't last long on the terressae. Just. Come. Back. With. Us."

"Well, I'm perfectly happy here. You won't starve, you have Prim's goat milk and you can start up your apothecary table. You don't _always _get the easy life. Sometimes, we all need a break. Whether you like it or not, you'll return without Gale and I."

"What about Prim?" My mother exclaims. Don't you care about your twelve-year-old sister back in the district? You'll _n_ever see her again if you stay. She cried for hours when she realized you weren't returning. Not even Buttercup or her goat will cheer her up. I promised her I'd find you and bring you back. The last thing either of us want is to hurt Prim. She'll be heartbroken if you don't come. Come back for Prim's sake at the very least."

_A compromise. How will this solve anything? As much as I will miss Prim, I want to stay. I can't let Gale down again, so much for our normal day. If I do go back, life will never change. It's the same routine day after day, on top of the schoolwork once September comes. I can't return to that life, and I don't know if I ever will. I just want to be happy, is that too much to ask? I'm happy for once in my life, and now my own mother threatens to take even that away. There's no adventure to that life, not like the adventure that waits in the woods each morning. Craving to get my bow, and hunt with Gale. Here, I can do that every day._

"I said no! Just return to the district without us, I don't want to be trapped in a routine again. There's nothing to that life mom. I want to break free and enjoy the life I have. For all I know, I could be the next tribute of the 75th hunger games! If that's the case, at least I lived my last year to the fullest. If I return to the district, I'll lose all hope. Please, I want to stay here and hunt." Her eyes filled with hurt when I mentioned the games. She knows my name is in the reaping ball more than any other girl from the seam. For her, she loses me both ways.

"Gale" Hazelle begins, "think of Rory and Posy. Neither of them can sign up for terressae until the 76th hunger games. How will they feed our family? Surely neither of them can hunt. Do you even care about the family anymore? Are we nothing to you? What part of you thought this was a good idea for anyone? You're causing more trouble than you need to. Rory and Posy want to see you as much as Prim wants to see Katniss."

"Of course I care about the family! I taught Rory to hunt about a year ago, and he caught on immediately. He will feed our family. You're not nothing to me, I just can't stand the idea of the coal mines. I'll work the twelve hour shift each day with no time to hunt. How would I provide for the family back in the district if I only have half the day to myself? I came to be happy, alright? You'll provide for the family just as well as I do. Trust me on this."

She stayed quiet for a moment considering everything. "You really won't come back, will you?" Gale shook my head, waiting for her response. "I-I understand Gale. We'll carry on without you…" She trailed off, trying to blink back tears. I would do the same if my own son left me. How could you handle the goodbye knowing you'll never see them again? Then again, I'm just as bad as Gale… "Goodbye." Hazelle choked on the last syllable. "Goodbye." Katniss and I whispered.

**A/N: Next chapter won't be as sad, I promise. I'm about half-way done with it right now.**


End file.
